Staying hot hot hot indoors

Yesterday was chilly, to say the least. Each day it gets cooler and colder, the more I feel like staying inside and pretending I am in a different place for the day. Some days, I squint and pretend I am near the Mexican border, and on those days it is not unusual to find grilled chicken and hot Serrano peppers in the kitchen.

But last night I was feeling a bit warmer even. A bit tropical. A bit exotic. A bit Miami, almost.

So without really even glancing at a recipe, Jake and I finished up at Half Priced Books and headed over to Central Market to grab some shrimp and other oceanic friends to have over for dinner. In the end, we grilled up garlic-lime shrimp wrapped in jalapeno bacon, with a fresh side of garlic steamed peppers and veggies.

Jake and Mandy's Miami Style Lime Shrimp Bacon Grilled Kebobs

1 lb gulf prawns
8 strips bacon
3 jalapenos
1 yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
2 heads of broccoli
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
fresh squeezed lime juice
lime pepper to taste
salt to taste
as much garlic as you can handle
wooden skewers


Prep Talk:

*Mix about 2 parts olive oil with 1 part balsamic vinegar. Add in plenty of the lime pepper, and give it a stir. Squeeze 2 limes into the mix, and stir well. Marinate peeled prawns in a large bowl for 30 minutes.
*In the meantime, cut up 1 inch pieces of the onion. De-seed and cut up 1/2 inch pieces of the jalapenos and set aside.

Go time:

*Starting with the bacon, layer the shrimp, onions, and jalapenos on the skewers, making sure to push them close together.
*Coat the finished dressed skewers with the rest of the marinade, and any other salt you may want.
*Grill on each side for 3 minutes, or until prawns are pink and bacon is crisp.



On the side:

*Cut bell peppers, broccoli and any other veggies into 1/2 inch slivers. Place in the center of a large piece of foil and coat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with your favorite veggie seasoning, or simply place a few cloves of garlic in there if you don't plan on going on any dates this week.
*Wrap up tightly and grill for about 7 minutes each side, being careful when you open the bag to check on them. Steam can be a nightmare.





And before you know it, you're impressing Northerners with your knowledge of cooking any and everything spicy! Just be careful with the intensity of the hot peppers you use. The oils can stay on your hands for days, making it a pain when you rub your eyes in the morning and suddenly wonder why you started crying.